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I. A. ALLEN. RAILWAY SWITCH.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

No. 564,909. Patented July 28, 1896.

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(No Model.)

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 564,909. Patented July 28, 1896,

- INVENTOR: J d%n W WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA A. ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAl LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,909, dated July 28,1896.

Application filed April 11,1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IRA A. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, and a.resident of the city of New York, in the county'and State of NewYork,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailwaySwitches and Turnouts, of which the following is a specification, theprinciple of the invention being therein explain ed and the bestmode inwhich I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguishit from other inventions.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus by means of which a cartraveling on the rails of a track is transferred onto the rails of anadjoining track by a point-switch which is operated by mechanismattached thereto; and one of the objects of my invention is to place themovement of the switch in control of the driver or motorman or otherperson on the moving car which is to be switched from one track to theother. Among the disadvantages and difficulties incurred in the usualforms of mechanism designed for this purpose have been in thecumbersomeness of structure in the system of levers organized to formthe reciprocating mechanism and the consequent difficulty in housing inof the train of mechanism in a suitable manner, and the improperexposure and disposition of the switch-keys, which subject them eitherto misplacement or breakage by passing vehicles or requires special orcomplicated means on a car to operate them if hidden below the crown ofthe rail or disposed on both of the. rails of the track. Heretoforewhenever the mechanism required repairs or adjustment it necessitatedthe delay of traffic at that point consequent to the removal of 'a greatmany parts in order to get at the member of the combination which neededrepairs or adjustment. This is entirely obviated in the organizationherein presented, as the parts are so. located as to be readilyaccessible to removal and adjustment without causing delays.

One of the important distinguishing features of the present invention isthe respective location of the vertical swinging switchkeys below thecrown and ranged along in alinement, with respect to the depending carmechanism, on the same rail of a track.

Another distinguishing feature of my invention is the positivemaintenance of equi- Serial No. 545,410. (No model.)

librium between the respective members of the reciprocating mechanism,which are supported and balanced in a vertical position.

The different features of my improved device are more particularly setforth in the following specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the track, showing theswitch and a portion of the operating device at the switch-point. Fig. 2is a vertical section through lines a a of Fig. 1, showing theconnection between the operating device at the switch-point and thelevers below the rail. Fig. 3 is a'vertical cross-section of the trackat the point I) b of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view of the car, showingthe apparatus by means of which the automatic levers below the rail areoperated. Fig. 5 is a bottom View ofthe car with operating deviceattached.

In practicing my invention I first provide at the junction of the twotracks the usual guard-rails and a movable point A. Below the level ofthe track the movable point Ais connected with one arm of a bent leverB, turning on the pin' 0 by means of a bar F.

The other arm of the bent lever Bis attached or by a pin (1 to a bar D,which is again attached by a pin to the bar E, which swings at thecenter on a pin e, preferably attached to the side of the track-rail Runder the point-rail. This bar E has attached to it two rods G and G,one above and one below the center pin e. The rod G extends along therail of the track to a point some little distance, preferably in eachcase, and will depend on the location of the switch-point and the lengthof the car. The space in which rods G and G extend is preferablyinclosed by a parallel bar acting as a guard-rail, which is shown at Kin Fig. 3, and the space underneath the ties may be tunneled andinclosed and is preferably so constructed as to carry off anyaccumulation of Water.

At the upper end of the operating-arm of each of the bell-crank levers Hand I, I provide a loose pulley,which is shown at L in Fig. 3, and infront of each wheel L, by which I mean on the side of the wheel next tothe switch-point I provide a way or platform or inclined plane M, whichis inclined at an angle to agree in alinement with the fulcrum of itsrespective bell-crank from the top of the track-rail R to the level atwhich the pulley L will be when the lower arm of the levers H and I isin a vertical position. This arrangement is designed to act on theoperating-finger attached to the car hereinafter described.

A part of the device attached to the car is shown in the side view ofFig, 4. Various forms ofa device for operating on levers II and I may bedevised.

I have found the means, as shown in. Fig. 4, to answer the purposefairly well, but I do not desire to limit myself to anyparticulardeviceor. construction or mechanism, so long as the necessaryobject. is obtained, which is to throw down alongside of the rail a.vfinger, such as is shown in. Fig. 4, which will come in contact with.and operate on the bent. levers H and I. In the device which I have usedfor this purpose a bar 0 is stretched from the front tothe rear axle,and a lever attached to the finger.- N is. connected-with a, rod orrodspassing to. the platform of thecar for convenience. of operation.

The manner of use of my inventionwillbe understood from the drawingsandv the foregoing description.

The car passing along the track toward the switch-point will continue onthe mainline of the track if the switch is so set and the mechanismconnected with the finger N is not operated, while if the mechanismcon.- nected with the finger N is operated upon and the finger N causedto extend down past.

the. crown or top, of the rail, so. that it will come in contact withthe pulley at the end of. the lever I, the rod G" will be acted upon andthrow the point into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig, 1, andthereby open a passage for the wheels of the car on the rails to thebranch track.

The adjustment, of the bent levers. H and I will determine the positionof the. switchpoint. If it is designed to always have the car follow themain track exceptv when the finger is operated, then the bent levers IIand I and the bars G. and G will be set in accordance, with this designand it. will also be seen that the finger on passing over the first.pulley at the lever I will be reset thereby out of position, so itcannot touch the pulley at the end of the lever H, this beingaccomplished by the inclined plane or slide M. In such case, if it isdesired to have the movable switch point thrown into the oppositedirection, the finger will be let down from the car only when it hasreached a point between the bent lever I and the bent lever H, when thelatter only will be acted upon and the switch-point thereby thrown intothe desired position. For the convenience of the motorman in throwingdown the finger to work the switch-point I place between the rails ofthe track metal plates S S at the point where the finger should bethrown down in order to work the switch in the desired manner. Theplates may be provided with an arrow or other device indicating thedirection the car will take in case the-finger is thrown down at thatpoint.

.What. I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is.-

1. A movable switch-point in a railwaytrack in combination with leversadapted to move and adjust said point, such levers being controlled inmovement by vertically-arranged rocker-lever E, and bell-cranks. H andI, positioned and ranged respectively below the crown of the rail. ofthe track and fulcrulned thereon, in alinement with. each. other andrespectively connected by operating-rods to form a. rocking frame, whichis adapted to be operated by mechanism attached to a mov-- ing car,substantially as described.

2. In. a. railway-switch the bell-cranks HE and I supported verticallyon the same rail of the track in alinement with each other,avertically-disposed rocker-lever and operating-rods for connecting the.bell-cranks with the respective arms of the rocker-lever, to formapair-of verticallybalanced lever members, and mechanism to communicatethe movements, of said balanced lever members to a movable switch-point,substantially as described.v

3.. A movable switch-point in av railwaytrack in combination with leversadapted to. move and adjust said point, such levers being controlled byvertically supported bellcranks H and I, fulcrumed in-alinement with.

each other, and inclines M, M, positioned relatively to saidbell-cranks, so as to allow the. operating-arms of either to assume,when depressed ,an oblique position coinciding with the angle of therespective incline, to provide against the accidental pick up-of adepressed bell-crank, substantially as described.

. IRA A. ALLEN. \Vitnesses:

THOMAS F. Conn, A. BELL. MALcoMsoN.

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